Needlestick Prevention

Needlestick injuries in agriculture are common although not as recognized as those in human clinical settings. Farmers, ranchers, veterinarians and on site workers are susceptible to needlesticks on the job. These injuries can be serious and may require medical attention.

These videos and fact sheets are intended to educate those individuals and prevent injuries in their swine and dairy operations.  They have been shared with educators, veterinarians, industry representatives, livestock owners and workers.  The videos have been incorporated into some company training programs as well as training for veterinarians.   Available in English and Spanish.

Stockmanship

Stockmanship uses our knowledge of the behavior of cows to optimize cow flow, wellbeing and production on farm and to reduce the risk for worker injuries. Methods developed to inform and educate dairy farmers include short video clips, posters and on farm demonstrations. Current and ongoing research has reviewed the perceptions of human-animal interactions and how stockmanship can be used a training tool to benefit both the dairy worker, cows and overall operation.

The Network project has developed educational posters, a fact sheet, and a series of videos on dairy stockmanship or low stress animal handling techniques.  The team worked in conjunction with dairy specialists and industry representatives.

Dairy Worker Survey

Not much is known about the level of safety training and the extent of injuries that occur on Minnesota and Wisconsin dairy farms. The purpose of this study was to survey dairy workers regarding their training, experience, and history of recent injuries. Conclusions of the study:

• Worker injuries are occurring on dairies in Minnesota and Wisconsin
• Worker safety and injury prevention training is needed
• Training efforts must consider the changing workforce
• Some workers may lack farm experience
• English is often a second language
• Veterinarians can be key to engage farmers and workers in survey participation and improve response rates
• Further work is needed to explore the relationship between training and injuries

Forty-six workers completed the survey. The average size herd at the surveyed dairies was 397 cows (range 50-850). Thirty-two (70%) workers were male. The average age of workers was 37 years (range 21 to 67). Nineteen workers (41%) were Hispanic. Twenty-nine workers (63%) grew up on a farm and 12 workers (26%) had no previous livestock experience before their current job. The average years of experience working with cattle were 18.9 years (range 1-58). The most common work tasks among participants were milking (n=35, 76%) and moving animals (n= 32, 70%). Thirty-two workers (70%) received specific task-related training for their job. Task training hours ranged from 0 to 48 hours with a mean of 12 hours. Seventeen (37%) workers received training related to safety and injury prevention. Eleven (25%) of the workers suffered at least one injury in the previous 12 months. Examples of self-reported injuries included: a sprained ankle from stepping in a hole, a bruised leg by being kicked by a calf, and a cut hand from sharp steel.

This project illustrates that worker injuries do occur on Minnesota and Wisconsin dairies. Worker safety and injury prevention training is needed. Training programs should consider limited worker experience and language barriers when developing educational programs.

Animal-Related Injuries Among Minnesota Agricultural Workers

The goal of this project is to characterize animal-related injuries to agricultural workers using the Minnesota Department of Labor Workers’ Compensation data. Using OIICS codes from the First Report of Injury, the sources, events surrounding the injuries, body parts injured and the nature of injuries to workers will be described.